This book had me tearing up by page two, and I knew right away it was something special.

The author tackles several difficult topics with so much heart, shining a light on them in a truly heartwarming way.

The characters were beautifully portrayed, and the storyline was perfection.
Cam's love for cats and the foster care system made it even more unique.

While their individual struggles were emotional to witness, seeing the characters forge a deep friendship and eventually fall in love was an incredible journey to read.

I have no doubt that this book will relate to many, and will remind them they/we are NOT alone 💜.

This book was so wholesome and this couple and the rep. I loved it all. I liked the narrators of this book and had a lovely time.

this is a super cute YA/NA college romance book with one main character who is disabled and uses wheelchair and the other who suffering from depression and mental health struggles. this is representation that is desperately needed and it is extremely well done and is own voices representation

I feel like my one semi-critique with this is that it's called the chemistry test but despite both of the main characters having some sort of science related interest, there's like no sciencey classy stuff on the page. The plot is mostly focused on their burgeoning friendship and the girls growth into forming her own friendship separately. there's also this online part of their relationship where one writes to the other in a forum thinking that it's anonymous and kind of spilling secrets.

The boy MC suffers from depression and is working through the grief from losing his grandma and a lot of the plot for his POV is focused on his own healing and going to therapy and sport groups.

I don't think that the title conveys what this book is actually about but the book is good. it's super cute in both characters are well-rounded and I liked that they're friendship turned into romance and everything was very well done. very cute very enjoyable. 4.5 stars

The Chemistry Test by Georgina Frankie is a heartfelt and compelling romance that earns a solid 4 stars. This novel stands out for its authentic and respectful representation of chronic illness, which is a breath of fresh air in the romance genre.

Soo… this one was a bit of a rollercoaster. Mostly because while it had potential and several moments I enjoyed, it didn’t fully click for me.

The Chemistry Test is a sweet, wholesome, and informative coming of age romance novel that explores self discovery, grief, chronic illness/disability, and love.

In this story, we’re following Penny and Cam. Penny is a firecracker, brilliant beyond her years, and resilient. Cam, loveable in every way, is a caring cat dad finally ready to take back his life after going through a difficult time himself. The two meet in one of the sweetest ways that really set up the book for the rest of its story!

I really enjoyed the diverse representation and how each character had their own complex journeys to navigate. The author’s voice is fun and the writing style is one that I can see myself reading more of in the future.

But overall, something just didn’t quite do it for me. Pacing, maybe? It felt off in parts and the chemistry (which due to the title I expected a bit more of) didn’t build in a way that swept me away. I wasn’t fully convinced the two would truly want to be anything more than friends by the end. While their friendship felt deep, the rest felt surface level and very very stunted and young. Which is at odds with how wise both characters come across.

There were some inconsistencies that pulled me out of the book and without spoiling too much, I’ll just say I would’ve loved to see Cam’s learning disability show up more in the academic scenes. It struck me as odd that it was mentioned and discussed at length when it came to his work, but a nonissue for school. Definitely could see how we didn’t want to take away from Penny’s navigation of accessibility at university, but it would have given them a bit more to share… I hope that makes sense!

I’d still recommend this book for my sweet, no spice, romance lovers who like more depth to their stories and characters. Penny and Cam were battling some serious issues! Overcoming obstacles by leaning on each other, friends, and family. The support they each received is so strong and heartwarming. It truly was a feel good book.

I liked it and enjoyed it a lot and will definitely read another of Georgina Frankie’s books.

Thank you Netgalley for this arc!

Wow, Georgina Frankie's debut novel delivers something increasingly rare in contemporary YA romance... There is so much disability, depression, and grief representation. I really enjoyed that this love story didn't fix everything and doesn't give the idea that it will.

This book definitely made me think of the privileges I have as an able bodied person, and has opened my eyes to a lot of the things I take for granted. It also had some great conversations around disabilities. I really enjoyed the way this story approaches grief, and more generically how to move forward in your life during times you feel stuck, was really well done - both serious and witty in equal measure. I feel that there isn't enough representation in books, but this did such a good job.

This audiobook was narrated by Persephone Lee and Joshua Akehurst, they both did an amazing job. They were able to make the story flow with a steady pacing through the short chapters. They brought the chemistry out of the pages as into the audio. Great job. If you're looking for a sweet college romance with great disability rep you should check out The Chemistry Test!

Thank you NetGalley for this ALC in exchange for my honest review.

The Chemistry Test is a sweet, clean college romance that blends disability and mental health representation.

Penny, who has POTS and EDS, heads off to university determined to live fully on her own terms. Enter CJ—a fellow classmate, part-time HBO actor, and kitten foster dad—who’s quietly navigating grief and depression following the death of his grandmother. Their story grows from awkward miscommunications to a supportive friendship and eventual romance.

As someone who also lives with chronic illness (including POTS), I found Penny’s struggles and inner doubts incredibly relatable. It was refreshing to see a heroine who wants to thrive in an academic setting and not be defined by her illness, but whose reality was still portrayed honestly. Add in cats, British accents in the narration, and a cozy university backdrop? I was sold.

The audiobook, narrated by Persephone Lee and Joshua Akehurst, really brought the characters to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Audio for the ALC!

If you're looking for a sweet college romance with great disability rep you should check out The Chemistry Test! This is a debut novel following Penny as she navigates her first year at University with a disability and falls in love along the way, despite initial misunderstandings with her love interest.

Penny has POTS and is a wheelchair user who can walk sometimes. I think this does a great job of unpacking misconceptions people have about disability - what it looks like and who it can effect - as well as some of the unseen elements of accessibility. Penny is resilient, has dreams of working in medical research, and just wants to have fun with her friends. CJ is in her chemistry class, but what she doesn't realize is that he is also an actor on a show that's popular in America. His avoidance of recognition is misinterpreted by her as not wanting to be seen with a disabled girl, but this quickly resolves into a slow-burn friends to lovers romance. Also he fosters kittens! It's very cute and perfect for readers who don't want a lot of spice in their romances. The audio narration is great and fits the UK university setting well! I received an audio review copy via NetGalley and am mutuals with the author. All opinions are my own.

This was such a lovely read with a wonderful representation of chronic illness. As someone with EDS and other “invisible illnesses”, I really felt a connection to the FMC. The doubts and regret she felt in relation to the way her conditions effect those around her was incredibly relatable to me. Constantly feeling like a burden simply because your own body refuses to cooperate. It’s a helpless feeling, but when you find someone who truly loves you for who you are like Cam (and my amazing husband) it really puts things in perspective. It’s hard to lean on others for help, but when you love someone it never feels like a burden. I also liked how the author handled Cam’s grief and guilt about his relationship with his grandma after her passing. It can feel so hard to keep doing things without the people we used to do them with, but we must continue to live FOR those people.

All in all a really lovely story! The narrators had great chemistry and really helped to make the audiobook immersive!

3.5 🌟
I wanted to love this but the celebrity status and TedX conference just felt so bizarre. I know we didnt hear all of Penny (fmc) Ted talk but I thought what we did hear would be more inspirational and less forced. I did not understand why CJ (mmc) got so upset over seeing Penny receiving a piggy back ride from another guy. Her wheelchair was broken dude, and even if it wasnt, tell her how you feel or get over it.

Okay now my rant is done. There is a lot to love and I want to give it 5 stars for the mental health aspects, disability representation AND rehabilitation of a couple cute kittens.
The support group for grief, the anonymous messages and all the various ways grieving and healing as discussed is great.

Penny has a rare disability and all the times she has these inner devastating monologues about being a burden or inconvenience just because of her wheelchair and its heartbreaking. When CJ tells Penny she is allowed to take up space and deserves to see the world and explore anything anyone else can - perfectly said!

I did love the narrator! Perfect choices and they were amazing at displaying and conveying all emotions.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing for the free ALC through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

Something I really loved about this book was the disability representation! I have only read one other book from the perspective of a character who uses a wheelchair and I think that is something we need to see more of, especially in the romance community! It also did a great job of discussing grief and mental health in general.

Now, this may be my fault for not being very educated about the other side of the pond, but a lot of references to the university structure didn’t make sense to me. It just felt like I was missing some cultural touch stones that I don’t necessarily see in day to day life as an American.

I thought that Penny and CJ were a cute couple, and I deeply appreciate a friends to lovers, but with so much of the last 3rd of the book spent with them apart I had a hard time feeling like they would make it as a couple. I didn’t even have the same concerns as Penny, I just felt like readers didn’t get to understand them as a happy couple before the conclusion of the book. Also, with the characters being so young (this would be a perfect representation of the New Adult sub-genre) I kept getting confused on like where they were maturity wise.

A lot of the characters felt either one dimensional or like they would be introduced and then forgotten. There were just too many characters who didn’t appear to hold any weight in the story. I wish we would’ve gotten a deeper dive into a few. Quality over quantity.

I felt that both audiobook narrators were strong in their interpretations of the characters. The British accents worked well in helping establish the setting and space.

Overall, I would absolutely try out another book by Georgina Frankie, it is completely possible that this out wasn’t for me.

2.5⭐️
A heartwarming and uplifting story about friends navigating and overcoming their disabilities together. The characters felt too young for my taste and not enough emotion to keep me sucked in. I got bored in the middle. Not a lot of romance.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a ALC in return for my honest review.

This book has so much to love! Dual POV, woman in STEM, disability rep, mental health rep, found family, strangers to friends to lovers and excellent banter, among others. I read this in one sitting and really enjoyed it. The dual POV added to the depth in which we get to learn about these characters. It also adds an extra layer to all the ways in which they are (unknowingly) connected. Another thing this book did really well was how it tackled the complicated topic of grief. I really appreciated the narrators of the audiobook, I think they did a great job, Joshua Akehurst especially. All in all, I loved the characters, their struggles and how ultimately they get together, it was a very satisfying read.

4.75 ⭐️

OH HOW I FREAKING LOVED THIS BOOK!

I don’t think this one will be for everyone, but as someone who so deeply related to them FMC as a wheelchair user, and having a lot of chronic illnesses I felt so freaking scene through every single page of this book!

The audiobook was good, but i believe this story is just as impactful regardless of what medium you choose to ingest! 😊

The writing was good. It was simple, yet still complex with tons of serials and the characters were so well done. I felt like i watched our FMC gain confidence in herself as the pages turned and I adored that.

I will absolutely be getting a physical copy of this book for my shelf because it’s so important. IMO we do not see enough romances that have people in wheelchairs for one, but also people dealing with these lesser known and understood chronic illnesses and representation is so important.

The Vibes:
-POTS representation
-Wheelchair representation
-EDS representation
-Slow Burn Romance
-Grumpy/Sunshine
-Depression Representation
-Collage Romance
-Disability Representation

A wholesome, sweet romance that shows that love comes in all shapes, sizes, and abilities. The disability representation in this one was refreshing. It treats disability and inclusivity as a normal part of life (which it is!) instead of being a whole dramatic thing. It is about a girl with chronic illness who wants to just live her best life and falls in love with a boy in college who isn't trying to fix her. He loves her for who she is. I love that you just sink into their little love story.

The dual narration was also a lovely touch on this one, as you could really feel the dynamic and the chemistry (no pun intended) between the characters.

Learning and coping with all the stuff thrown at you as a new adult is hard and confusing. So is adjusting to college life and all that. It's even more stressful when you have "invisible" disabilities yet have to use a wheelchair for ALMOST everything and are subject to fainting and getting sick at just the worst times. And now there's this boy. He's kind of nice sometimes but sorta standoffish, AND he's also an actor in a popular TV series. It turns out that he has a totally different sort of invisible issue he's working on with therapy (no, it's NOT drugs). Great comfy story and yet a wake-up for people of ANY age.
Narrated by delightful voice actor Persephone Lee AND convincing voice actor Joshua Akehurst.
I requested and received a temporary audio copy for review purposes from Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio via NetGalley. ***** review #BookBub #goodreads #librarything #storygraph
#TheChemistryTest by @georgina_frankie_books narrated by @persephoneleeromance and #JoshuaAkehurst @brilliancepublishing #NetGalley #England #university #Contemporary #Fiction #Disability #Audiobook #MentalHealth #depression #dyslexia #CollegeRomance #grief #counseling #debutauthor #disabledauthor #cleanromance #yaromance #comingofageromance #potssyndrome #wheelchair #ehlersdanlossyndrome #comingofage #chronicillness #disabilitypride #disabledandproud

I received an advanced copy of this audiobook for review. All opinions are my own. Thanks to Brilliance Publishing | Brilliance Audio for the ALC. The narrators were delightful.

I love how much representation is in this book. EDS and POTS and depression in the main characters, but the background characters are a good slice of representation as well.

Penny and CJ meet, and it's not cute. They meet again, and there are more miscommunications, but they keep having to spend time together. She feels like her life is much to slow for him, and he's dealing with grief after the loss of his grandmother.

This book is about college students, but I think it's a good option for older YA readers as well. If I were still a YA librarian, I'd rec it to about 10th grade up! Plus it was cute for readers who are searching for more representation in their media or for adults who get nostalgic about college (this one made me miss my undergrad days so much!!)

Overall, a cute, sweet read. 3.5/5.

The Chemistry Test is a super sweet strangers to lovers, dual POV, young adult nonspicy romance. I loved all of the disability/ chronic illness representation (specifically POTS, EDS) and mental health rep (depression, grief, therapy). I found this to be extremely validating as someone with a chronic illness. I tend to not read a lot of YA, so at times I did feel the pace to be slow/want the characters to communicate more- but this is realistic as they were 18 and 19 years old. Solid 4.5 rounded to 5 for the amazing chronic illness representation!

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook The Chemistry Test!

This was a delightful little coming of age romance.

This book has a dual POV of Penny and CJ. Penny is going into her first year of uni with a chronic illness, CJ is a student and actor who is also dealing with his own struggles, like grief. They both had a lot of personality and I found their relationship very believable. I always like when the characters in romance novels have things going in their lives besides the central relationship and both of them surely did.

Another little thing that I loved is that CJ is cat obsessed and fosters kittens, cause I too adore cats.

The audiobook was also well narrated

While this was a lovely YA romance, I don’t know if it’s a book I will come back to very often. But would definitely recommend if the synopsis sounds interesting.

I DNFd this audiobook rather quickly. I wanted to pick it up because I love books with mental health representation and disability representation.
But as someone who works in the mental health fields, the fact that our teenage main character runs a website offering something similar to therapy support made me uncomfortable. If the author had acknowledge the ethical implications or the liability behind that maybe I could have kept going but they didn't, and it felt too casual. She has no training but she prays for the people that reach out to her online, so if that's something you like it's in there. And the FMC Is gonna obviously end up dating the guy that messaged her on that platform, So it just felt really icky. If that's not gonna bother you, then definitely consider picking this one up. There's a lot of representation in it. It felt really cutesy, it reads really young, and if you like books in a college setting, maybe this one is for you.